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Endurance Athlete Nutrition

Nutrition plays a key role in performance and recovery from beginner athlete to experienced. Learn more about gaining your competitive advantage with a specific balance of nutrients and hydration.

Kari Collett, RDN, LDN, CLTKA to Zinc Nutrition, LLC

Benefits of Sports Nutrition

Enables harder and longer training

Delays onset of fatigue

Enhances performance

Promotes optimal recovery

Improves body composition and strength

Enhances concentration

Improves immune function

Reduces risk of injury

Reduces cramping and other side effects of training

Primary Goals of Sports Nutrition

Maintain hydration

Fuel to optimize performance

Promote rapid recovery

General Endurance Training Nutrition

Carbohydrate: found in grains, fruits, legumes, and vegetables; dairy can also be a source

Provide energy; primary fuel source for most activities

Primary food source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber

Carbohydrate quality matters

Plan carbs first when meal planning

Intake during training is usually around 50-70% of kcal

Carb calories = 4 kcal/g

Protein: found in meats primarily but it is also found in ALL other foods except fruits

Primary source of amino acids for tissue repair, enzyme function, and hundreds of other messengers

Provides some energy

Plan protein second when meal planning

Recommended intake is around .8 g/kg; most people get more than necessary

Fat: found in plant sources such as nuts, avocado, olives, and coconut as well as animal sources such as meats, eggs, and dairy

Provides energy; slower release

Important for brain, hormone, and joint function

Recommended intake is right around 10-20% of kcal of which <10% of kcals should come from saturated fat

Fat sources matter

Plant vs animal

Poly- and monounsaturated fat vs saturated

Fat calories = 9 kcal/g

Example 2400 kcal/day for a 110 lb. athlete

CHO: 2400 x .7 = 1680 / 4 = 420 g CHO

PRO: 110 / 2.2 = 50 kg x .8 = 40 g PRO/day = 160 kcal

FAT: 2400 – 1840 = 560 kcal / 9 = 62 g FAT; 560 / 2400 = 23%

The Week Before the Event: Carb Loading

Approach Type

Carbohydrate Regimen

Example: 110 lb athlete

TAPER: light training 3-5 days prior to event

80% of kcal

2400 x .8 = 1920 / 4 = 480 g

REST: no training 1-2 days prior to event

90% of kcal

2400 x .9 = 2160 / 4 = 540 g

Carbohydrates that are more quickly absorbed support better carb loading: white rice, white pasta, white bread?, potato, and banana. Grains and fruits will be your primary sources as they are naturally fat free; high fiber vegetables can be problematic during this time as such high volumes are needed. As carb percentage rises, protein and fat decrease.

Pre-Event

Meal 4 hours before event consists of:

.5 – 2 g/lb CHO

.1 – .2 g/lb PRO

Minimal FAT

15 – 30 minutes prior to event: 30 – 60 g CHO

From liquid or fruit

Combined glucose and fructose

Hydration: recommended 16-24 oz fluid before an event

Event Fueling

Short events need little if any fuel; longer events need more:

1 – 2.5 hours: 30 – 60 g CHO/hour

>2.5 hours: 80 – 90 g CHO/hour

Easy event foods:

10 twists of hard, plain, salted pretzels: 60 g CHO

30 oz sport drink: varies but around 50 g CHO

Sports gels: vary with contents

Consume gradually throughout the race

Fuel storage in the body

Muscle glycogen storage gets used up with every training session or competition

Small reserve of glycogen in the liver is used and depleted next

When fuel stores are gone, body is forced to slow down or stop known as BONKING or HITTING THE WALL

Event hydration: alternate between water and sports solutions

Post-Event

Eat within 30 minutes of event

For moderate training and events, repeat intake after 2 hours

For intense training and events, repeat every hour for 3 hours

Reload carbohydrate fuel stores with carbohydrate foods; this is what fuels the next event

Half gram/lb simple carbohydrates

Simple carbs are faster at restoring glycogen

Especially important if you are exercising again within 24 hours

Example: 110 lb athlete needs 55 g CHO

1 medium apple and 1 granola bar = ~45 g CHO

1 medium banana and 1 blueberry muffin = ~50 g CHO

Repair and rebuild muscle tissue with protein foods

10 – 20 grams in addition to carbohydrate foods

Can go as high as carbohydrate recommendation

Rehydrate: 16 ounces per pound lost during exercise/event

Hydration

Calculate your sweat rate

Weight before exercise – weight after exercise then convert to fluid oz; add the loss to any fluids consumed in event then divide by number of hours